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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with raised gold indexes in 1952 and its subsequent sale on 23 April 1953.
Collectors of rare wristwatches are fascinated by complications and their complex mechanisms. However, wristwatches fitted with cloisonné enamel dials take a most prominent position in terms of beauty, craftsmanship and rarity. Patek Philippe made mostly in the 1940's and 50's an exceedingly small number of "time only" wristwatches where highly detailed and incredibly artistic cloisonné enamel dials were fitted. Only an extremely small number of watches were upgraded with these wonderful dials, depicting popular motifs such as the jungle, the lighthouse and sail boats, but also flowers, portraits and maps.
Patek Philippe reserved these masterpieces of enameling mostly for their celebrated world-times watches, notably reference 605 (dress watch), reference 1415 (single-crown wristwatch) and reference 2523 (double-crown wristwatch). In exceptional cases these dials were also mounted on "time-only" wristwatches, notably references 2481 and 2494, but also reference 1466 (square) and references 1593 and 2471 (all rectangular). A very small number of Patek Philippe wristwatch movements, mounted with cloisonné enamel dials, were also delivered to their prestigious retailer Guillermin in Paris, in order to be then cased with a French case.
The present watch is a reference 1595, one of only two known examples of this model to be fitted with an enamel dial. Whereas this example is rose gold, the other known piece of this ultra-limited series is cased in yellow gold and features a Caravelle - interestingly also mentioned on the same order sheet in the records of Stern Frères, the celebrated dial makers. The dial on this watch was most likely originally delivered to France, cased in a French-manufactured case. We understand that the current owner has identified, after a long search, the correct rose gold reference 1595 case and has given this extraordinary dial a new life - now in a "triple-signed" form.
Most interestingly, the present dial has been identified in the order books of the dial makers as Thaiti forêt and carries the correct coding on its back: "93" stands for the client, in this instance Patek Philippe and "11121" as the order number when it was requested. This theme is different to the better known jungle-design as it features only one large palm-tree to the left, whereas the mountain centering the "jungle"-theme is flanked by trees on both sides. Not only is this enamel dial a true work of art impressing with luminosity and artistic flamboyancy, but one should also mention that the surface covered with enamel is the largest which can be found on any cloisonné wristwatch. In fact, many of the circular wristwatches mentioned above feature the enamel scene in the center of the dial and a brushed outer ring - probably for better legibility.
Today, most of the vintage wristwatches by Patek Philippe fitted with cloisonné enamel dials are either in the world's most important and exclusive private collections, or housed permanently in the firms museum in Geneva. Consequently, opportunities to acquire one example, especially of such beauty, are become extremely rare events in the international auction arena and should be considered seriously.
Collectors of rare wristwatches are fascinated by complications and their complex mechanisms. However, wristwatches fitted with cloisonné enamel dials take a most prominent position in terms of beauty, craftsmanship and rarity. Patek Philippe made mostly in the 1940's and 50's an exceedingly small number of "time only" wristwatches where highly detailed and incredibly artistic cloisonné enamel dials were fitted. Only an extremely small number of watches were upgraded with these wonderful dials, depicting popular motifs such as the jungle, the lighthouse and sail boats, but also flowers, portraits and maps.
Patek Philippe reserved these masterpieces of enameling mostly for their celebrated world-times watches, notably reference 605 (dress watch), reference 1415 (single-crown wristwatch) and reference 2523 (double-crown wristwatch). In exceptional cases these dials were also mounted on "time-only" wristwatches, notably references 2481 and 2494, but also reference 1466 (square) and references 1593 and 2471 (all rectangular). A very small number of Patek Philippe wristwatch movements, mounted with cloisonné enamel dials, were also delivered to their prestigious retailer Guillermin in Paris, in order to be then cased with a French case.
The present watch is a reference 1595, one of only two known examples of this model to be fitted with an enamel dial. Whereas this example is rose gold, the other known piece of this ultra-limited series is cased in yellow gold and features a Caravelle - interestingly also mentioned on the same order sheet in the records of Stern Frères, the celebrated dial makers. The dial on this watch was most likely originally delivered to France, cased in a French-manufactured case. We understand that the current owner has identified, after a long search, the correct rose gold reference 1595 case and has given this extraordinary dial a new life - now in a "triple-signed" form.
Most interestingly, the present dial has been identified in the order books of the dial makers as Thaiti forêt and carries the correct coding on its back: "93" stands for the client, in this instance Patek Philippe and "11121" as the order number when it was requested. This theme is different to the better known jungle-design as it features only one large palm-tree to the left, whereas the mountain centering the "jungle"-theme is flanked by trees on both sides. Not only is this enamel dial a true work of art impressing with luminosity and artistic flamboyancy, but one should also mention that the surface covered with enamel is the largest which can be found on any cloisonné wristwatch. In fact, many of the circular wristwatches mentioned above feature the enamel scene in the center of the dial and a brushed outer ring - probably for better legibility.
Today, most of the vintage wristwatches by Patek Philippe fitted with cloisonné enamel dials are either in the world's most important and exclusive private collections, or housed permanently in the firms museum in Geneva. Consequently, opportunities to acquire one example, especially of such beauty, are become extremely rare events in the international auction arena and should be considered seriously.